It seems to ignore that like any system it is the driver whowill optimize how it functions. Having driven ESC cars onroad courses for four years, it doesn't make you go faster!It does limit the mistakes but at the cost of slowing youdown from what is possible. If you are absolutely smooth itwill let you get right to the edge but any bobble and it comes into play and that slows you down, the more off theoptimum you are and it slows you more. Actually it doesn'tlimit the mistakes, it limits the consequences of mistakes.

I don't really think that open wheel racing would sell cars. After all, those cars are so different from anything we drive today, that no one would really buy a car just because of the fact that the manufacturer does well in F1 or whatever form of open wheel racing.

However, i think that NASCAR and touring car series such as the DTM will help selling cars, after all (at least in the touring cars, i don't know NASCAR too well as i don't live in the USA and no-one broadcasts that here) the car models are recognizable as a make of car.

So, it depends a lot what the type of racing is spoken of.

And just to comment in the F1, that's just plain stupid. Just bring back the days of racing that it was all about the driver, not the guys in the pits competing in gearbox tuning.

"Chevy's NASCAR nameplate the Monte Carlo is one of the least popular in the brand's lineup. NASCAR might be great for selling soda, detergent or the like but not so much cars."

The reason the Monte Carlo is not selling because it has or had an ugly back end. I mean GM tried to mimic the mid 80's Monte Carlo end for the 2000 Monte Carlo's back end but it didn;t work well enough to make the Monte more appealing to buyers than its predessor(the 95-99 Monte) and the auto buying reject it.) I myself prefer the clean and smooth looking 95-99 Monte over the current one.

To go further into it I don;t the mid 80's Monte was a ugly car but just not my style maybe and the back end of the 80;s model did work for that car but not for the 00+ Monte.

I think it used to influence peoples buying habits. Before NASCAR went "mainstream" the typical fan(note not every) was much more prone to buy American and buy the particular make, if not model, his favorite driver ran.

Now as NASCAR has broadened its appeal in the last decade and the American car makers have hit hard times, you don't see the showroom traffic generated by the old win on Sunday sell on Monday theory.

In short, buyers have gotten smarter and look for value for their $ over loyalty to a brand.

If Joe Fan has $25k to spend on a new sedan and he evaluates the Accord to be a better value than the Fusion, he's going with the Accord.

well that isn't true with the fans I associate with. Also a lot of what they learn on the race track is documented and often finds its way in production cars. Alot of sensor technology has came from the race track pal

"Also a lot of what they learn on the race track is documented and often finds its way in production cars. Alot of sensor technology has came from the race track pal "

Can you cite actual examples from the modern NASCAR era? With NASCAR, I think this is a stretch. You can't buy a V8 Fusion or Camry, and the cars are set up to run oval tracks (all left hand turns) - unlike your street car which has to be balanced to turn both ways.

For what it's worth, I watch 75% of the NASCAR races each season (along with other forms of racing), and I own 3 imports.

I can't site specific examples but Delphi Corp said they developed some of their technology's from NASCAR and IRL racing. That is where I got the info from about 5-6 years ago. Dad says they have dedicated lines at Delphi for racing technology. I know some of the sensors they use now came from race cars but specific ones my memory doesn't go that far back

I'm not a NASCAR fan and I'm not even a fan of driving fast but Mitsubishi's history of racing prowess has somewhat influenced my decision to buy a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS with 5-speed transmission. Mitsubishi has won many Dakar Rallies and many races of different flavors that I can't recall off the top of my head because it's not part of my car crazy obsession to love car racing.

But I'm learning that those that do love it really love it and pour their heritage and love and sweat in to it and take it very seriously. I know that the Japanese are very intense car builders and Mitsubishi engineers are worthy of my respect.

I short I feel that racing does indeed sell cars. Although my input may not fit the "norm" in this regard, if indeed there is a norm to fit here any more.